Authoring Digital Possibilities

DDA BONDING DAY

23 June 2010

HOT, HUMID, SWEATY but FULL OF LAUGHTER. That was what the students and lecturers experienced at DDA’s inaugural Bonding Day at the Singapore Zoo.

The Singapore Mandai Zoo

Bonding Day is one of the many social and educational activities planned for students in the Diploma in Digital Animation. They are encouraged to get together, have fun and share experiences with one another. “Bonding Day is a very effective way to build rapport with students and a good opportunity for both lecturers and students to know each other better,” Ahmad, DDA course manager, explains. “Furthermore, students learn to communicate more effectively and get a chance to improve on their teamwork.”

Student arrived at Singapore Polytechnic at 1 pm on the 23rd of June 2010 and boarded the shuttle bus to the Singapore Zoo. They were then divided into 8 groups consisting 4 team members to start their adventure. Each group were supposed to sketch the same group of animals and present it at the end of the day. Equipped with a handy map, students drafted their own paths through the zoo and chose the animals to draw. They were expected to assist each other, sharing tips and observations to get the best results in their drawings. As they made their way to the next spot they also got a chance to chit chat.

Start of the adventure

Taking a break

As part of the activities for the day, students were instructed to bring their sketchbook to draw animals by capturing their dynamism in movement. “The students are often too busy working on the details in their drawings that they forget to capture the essence of motion. Taking them to the zoo and getting them to sketch animals in real life brings huge benefits to their drawing skills development. The experience is something that they definitely cannot get sitting in a classroom,” says lecturer Ryan Qin.

At around 3.30pm, everybody gathered at Forest Lodge located at the centre of the Zoo. Laying out their best sketches on the long bench, students wiped off their sweat, checked out each other’s works and took a well-deserved break.

The lecturers, in the meantime, were critiquing and selecting their favourite sketches. After some careful deliberation, Ahmad then announced the winning group and the best sketch of the day, and the winners were rewarded for their brilliant efforts.

Students laying their sketches down

Gathering at the Forest Lodge

Posing with our sketches

Before leaving the Zoo, the DDA family couldn’t resist taking a group picture as a memento of this special day. “This Bonding Day is not all about sketching, but it helps us to cool off from the intense lectures, hang out and know more about each other. Let’s do it again next week!” Khidir bin Suhaimi, DDA student, suggests playfully.